In Case You Missed it

I shared my calendar blocks tutorial with you.

There were lots and lots of giveaways.

We talked about blog conferences for first time attendees with sweet life in the valley, make and takes, the mother huddle, oh, hello friend, no biggie and i never grew up.
By the way, are you going to the CBC?




Tips on brushing your baby's teeth.

I shared some blogs I love.

Playing at the park.

Cupcake Kits

I am loving these cupcake kits from Meri Meri



Ready set go set



Fire truck set


See more cupcake kits here.

Which one s your favorite?

Playing at the Park

We took a break from all of our usual day off errands and cleaning to take Brody to the park.
We had such a great time!

Giveaway- Juice Kids Haute Couture

From a very young age Meg Moore, owner of Juice Kids Haute Couture, had a passion for clothes. Her passion developed into children's clothing with the birth of her three daughters. Meg believes that clothes should be original and should say something about the child wearing them, that's why she created Juice Kids Haute Couture. There you will find an eclectic style of clothing geared towards letting children develop their own style, where both child and mom will be happy.
Each item in the shop has an emphasis on comfort and self expression. It's a blend of styles that suit every child's taste.

The stores modern twist on vintage styles is a breath of fresh air, especially in the historic town of Hartsville, South Carolina where the store is located. If you don't live in South Carolina don't worry, Juice Kids has an amazing online shop. They carry boys and girls sizes 0-14 and also offer a little something for mom.

Of course you will find the good ole' Southern hospitality at Juice Kids. They pride themselves on their great costumer service and going the extra mile. Meg is even known to do some personal shopping for her customers.

Meg is giving away a shirt to two of my readers.

The first shirt is this fun Euro Cruiser Tee from her Wonderboy line.
Available in sizes 6 months- 10 yrs.




The other shirt is this darling Bird tee from her Stun Collection.
Available in sizes 6 months- 10 yrs.



How to enter

I entry for telling me your favorite item at Juice Kids Haute Couture
1 entry for becoming a follower of this blog
1 entry for following me on twitter
1 entry if you tweet about this giveaway
1 entry for adding my blog button to your side bar
1 entry for following Juice Kids on twitter
2 entries for posting about this giveaway on your blog

Leave a comment for each entry.
Make sure to specify which shirt you would like to win.

Giveaway ends Monday, May 3rd at midnight
Winner will be announced Tuesday, May 4th

Good luck!

Receive free shipping on the Wonderboy and Stun lines. Receive 10% off your order when you mention this blog!

Fruity Jewelry

I love these cute fruit necklaces from Lulu Bug Jewelry!



1) pink grapefruit necklace
2) lemon wedge necklace
3) lime wedge necklace
4) orange slice necklace



1) red apple necklace
2) tiny pear necklace
3) green apple necklace
4) mini strawberry necklace

What's your favorite?

It's Just Another Stylin' Sunday

Love the purple and green!

Blogs I am Loving

Shoes

I am loving these shoes from ZooShoo!


Paprika Cansee


Steve Madden Fauntain

Tips on Brushing Your Baby's Teeth

We have had a hard time getting Brody to brush his teeth.
He fought it hard for a long time.
Now he loves brushing his teeth. I thought I would share what we did to help Brody love his toothbrush.
Feel free to add your thoughts or tips.



1) We made sure he saw us brushing our teeth

2) When I caught him watching me brushing my teeth I pulled out his toothbrush to let him try

3) I let him play with his toothbrush so it wasn't such a scary thing

4) I make sure to put lots of water on his toothbrush
He loves to slurp up the water

5) Brody loves to clap his hands and say yay when he does something good. We made sure to always clap our hands and say yay after brushing his teeth.


*Our doctor also suggested getting a mechanical tooth brush, I guess kids like the way they feel.
*Our dentist told us we don't have to worry about using tooth paste just yet.

What tips do you have to share?

Movie List

Here is a list of movies I have seen recently.









Have you seen any good movies lately?
Any suggestion?

Lego Shelf

I am loving this Lego shelf!
What little boy wouldn't want one of these?




Via

It's just Another Stylin' Sunday

Brody has been loving wearing shorts!
His legs are starting to get banged up though. He is such a boy!





Don't you just love the green carpet?

Blog Conference for the First Time Attendee

How many of you have been to a blog conference? I haven't, but that's going to change come May. I am going to be attending the Casual Blog Conference. I'm really excited about it!

I decided the Casual Blog Conference would be a great first time conference for me for many reasons. Beside the fact that it's set near my home, the CBC is for all kinds of bloggers, not just exclusive to the heavy hitters of the big blog world. The CBC is offering numerous classes on photography, writing, blogging, design, digital scrapbooking, social media, advertising and more. Plus they have a great lineup of great speakers.

Soon after I bought my tickets I started thinking about the conference and started getting a little nervous. I always get a little nervous when I do new things. I guess I just like to know what I am getting myself into, if you know what I mean. I decided the best way to relax and not worry about the CBC was to learn more about blog conferences, so I recruited the help from a few bloggers to help attendees (myself included) get ready.

Here's what these bloggers had to say.

What to expect at a blog conference

April from Living the Sweet Life
Prepare to be overwhelmed with great information. A conference is a great way to meet your blogging friends, to learn about how to take your blog to the next level and to make some good connections.

Kami from No Biggie
You can expect a lot of socializing, parties, and learning from some of your favorites (hopefully).

Vanessa from I Never Grew Up
Expect to put yourself out there. Its almost like going to a new school for the first time, not AS scary because most of the women are quite nice. Just know that you really to get noticed, learn things, make connections just take a deep breath and jump in. If you do you will learn even more. Although you will learn quite a bit in all of the wonderful classes!

Danni from oh, hello friend
Expect lots of FUN! TONS of networking so be prepared. Lots of blog chat, lots of meeting new friends, maybe stepping a bit outside your comfort zone.

Marie from Make and Takes
Get ready to make new friends. Conferences are all about meeting people in real life. You come out from behind the computer to meet and greet in person. It's fun to get to know other people and talk blogs, something we all have a passion for.

Destri from The Mother Huddle
I think I have learned the most at conferences simply by opening up conversation to other attendees. It is a unique atmosphere in which everyone involved is wanting to learn and share. You don't get that opportunity a lot so take advantage of it! Talk with the people you admire, ask them what has worked for them, it's the one time to do it. This is not the time to be shy.

How to prepare for a blog conference

April from Living the Sweet Life
Read up on the speakers. Read their blogs know more about them and make a list of questions for them. If the session goes to Q&A you will be prepared.

Kami from No Biggie
Prepare to make connections. Use that time with companies and bloggers to network. Great blog posts/giveaways can come from your time spent at these conferences.

Vanessa from I Never Grew Up
Take good care of yourself so you feel and look great! Nothing would be worse than going with no sleep or feeling sick and make a kinda of blah first impression to all of the people you meet.

Danni from oh, hello friend
I didn't do much to prepare.One sweet person made little business card holders to pass out at the conference so I thought that was a sweet little touch. I may make a little something to bring at the next conference I go to.

Marie from Make and Takes
Find out who the speakers are going to be. Read their bios and check out their blogs. It's good to know what their background is and what you might be able to ask them at the conference.

Destri from The Mother Huddle

Make your business cards stand out! The last conference I went to I was amazed at how creative everyone was. I remembered those people. I checked their blogs, their cards were cool, they had to be, right? Find out who will be speaking and get familiar with there blogs. Link to them, introduce yourself, anything so that when you have a chance to talk to them at the conference, you will already have a connection.

What to bring to a blog conference

April from Living the Sweet Life
- business cards with your email, blog address, twitter name - a laptop if at all possible with an extension cord so you can plug it in while in the sessions
- pain killers and water you will most likely need both
- cute, stylish, yet comfortable shoes
- a phone with the internet to connect with those on twitter during the conference

Kami from No Biggie
You should always bring your blog/business/mom card...and lots of them. You will meet a lot of people in a short period of time, and exchanging cards is a great way for them to remember you and for you to remember them.

Vanessa from I Never Grew Up
DO bring business cards, don't break the bank buying them, just spend a bit but do bring them and don't be shy to hand them out! Take notes, that you will actually look over again! Write down names, blogs of people, twitter handles etc.

Danni from oh, hello friend
Business cards and be sure to hand them out. I didn't hand out as many cards as I thought I would but I wish I had! Bring a nice evening dress, in case there's a nice party or something. I brought jeans, but they had a fun party after the first day and I felt so silly in my jeans.

Marie from Make and Takes
I like to have a pen and paper in hand as I'm always getting inspired with new ideas for my own blog that I want to write down to remember. You can bring your laptop, but I never seem to pull it out of my bag. The pen and paper seem to do just fine.

Destri from The Mother Huddle
There will be a lot of information to process all at once. So take a pen and notebook for writing down key points. That way you can go home and have a chance to really absorb it all. Bring a bag, there always seems to be a lot to collect at conferences. Bring your camera! I never have, and always regret it. And a smile of course.

Other tips

April from Living the Sweet Life
Don't forget about all the fun parties that often surround conferences. Sign-up for them ahead of time because most if not all will fill up way ahead of time.

Kami from No Biggie
Have fun! Think of this time as a girls trip or a girls night out, and enjoy it!

Vanessa from I Never Grew Up
If you take a pal with you so you are not as scared be sure not to use them as a crutch. This is all about meeting new people, learning from them and using these connections to help you in the blog world.

Danni from oh, hello friend
At the blog conference I went to, some girls planned a dinner get together and that was so fun and surreal to have dinner with so many blog friends. If you can, plan a dinner or a get together with some friends you know will be going so you can be sure to meet up.. beyond just seeing each other at the conference.

Marie of Make and Takes
Shares three reasons to attend a blog conference.

Destri from The Mother Huddle

Go to the social aspects of the conference, you'll find that is where you make the best contacts.

Be yourself and have fun!

Will you be attending the Casual Blogger Conference? I'm excited to meet and share ideas with everyone else out there. Come introduce yourself and I hope I see you there!

Vanessa, Destri and April will be speaking at the Casual Blog Conference so look for them!

Tickets are sold out but you can get on the waiting list here.

Help

I need help finding food for my picky boy to eat!

Brody has turned into quite a picky eater. He hasn't always been this way.

He hates bread, vegetables, eggs, meat, fruit (most of the time), cheese... the list goes on.
He loves yogurt, Cheerios and macaroni and cheese.
I have got to find more foods he'll eat!

What do you feed your 1 and a half year olds?
Any suggestions for Brody?

Calendar Blocks

Last month I helped my activity day girls make some calendar blocks (aka countdown blocks).
We had a lot of fun making them!
I thought I would give you a little tutorial so you can make your own.




Start by cutting 2 x 2 inch blocks.
You can do any size you want, just make sure they are the same measurement around.




Sand the blocks.
Make sure they are super smooth.



Paint the blocks.
I like to use acrylic paint. It's cheap, easy, drys fast and is easy to clean up.



Allow the blocks to dry thoroughly.



Chose some pretty paper and cut into squares just smaller than the blocks.



Lightly coat one side of the block with Mod Podge.
Place one paper square on top of Mod Podge.
Smooth the paper down, making sure there are no bubbles.
Let dry.
Continue until each side of both blocks are covered in paper.



Paint a light coat of Mod Podge on the block.
Apply your first number.
Make sure to press firmly, making sure there are no bubbles.
Let dry.
Continue on each side until both blocks are numbered.

Use the numbers in the following order
Block 1- 0,1,2,3,4,5
Block 2- 0,1,2,6,7,8 (the 6 doubles as the 9)



Lightly coat each block with a final layer of Mod Podge to seal it.
Let dry.



Now you can either use your blocks as a calendar or as a count down calendar.



Enjoy!




Send me pictures of your calendar blocks, I would love to see them!

Winners

The winner of the Garnish gift certificate is
Natalie Jane from Natalie's Sentiments

Please email me with your name and email address



The winner of the Chalkal design from Modern Dose is
Me, Myself & Pie

Please email me with your name, address and which design you want




The winner of the Greetings.stash from Buttoned Up is
Natalie from Blonde at Heart

Please email me with your name and address

The winner of the Wouldyou.Pad from Buttoned Up is
Linzi of Mommy Musings

Please email me with your name and address


Thanks to random.org for picking the winners.

And a BIG thanks to all the sponsors who donated to the giveaways!